Gearing up for music festival

Almost 4000 revellers turned out for the inaugural Shotover
Sunshine Festival in 2011. The festival returns, bigger and
better, on February 9. Photo by Tracey Roxburgh.

The countdown has begun to the eagerly awaited Shotover
Sunshine Festival near Queenstown next month. The Wakatipu's
homegrown open-air biennial music festival returns for the
second time to private land at the Coronet Peak end of Littles
Rd on Saturday, February 9.

Kiwi dub roots rockers Kora top the bill, closely followed by
the dub funk afrobeat and soul collective the Black Seeds.

Organiser Simon Hendl, of Queenstown, also known as DJ
Downtown Brown, said ticket sales were picking up after the
Christmas lull.

Almost 4000 music fans partied for the inaugural show in 2011
and it was hoped 1000 more would attend this year.

Mr Hendl said while Queenstown and Wanaka residents were
mainstay supporters, 10% of tickets sales for the 2013
festival were to Aucklanders.

The site off Littles Rd would be transformed a week out from
the festival, and the line-up was confirmed, he said.

''Kora are getting really good reviews on their summer dates
following their album release and I'm looking forward to
seeing them live.

''I've had the pleasure of working with those boys [the Black
Seeds]. They're just remarkable for getting onside with the
crowd. They always seem to rock the party.''

Festival gates would open at noon and the event finish at
1am. Organisers advised patrons to allow enough time to get
to Littles Rd, park and get into the event.

At the gate, everyone would be given a wristband and would
have the option of loading it with refundable credit by cash,
eftpos or credit card using recharging stations on site.

Tickets cost $140 and are now on sale from the festival
website and Dash Tickets online.

Patrons could take their own food, but affordable food and
beverages would be available. For details on VIP tickets at
$250 each, plus entry conditions, maps, buses, parking and
accommodation, visit the festival website.

• The official Shotover Sunshine Festival Warm-Up Party will
be held in the World Bar on January 19 from 10pm. The
Sunshine Sound System, featuring Downtown Brown on the decks
and MC KPz on the microphone, will play everything from 1980s
classics to reggae to the latest dubstep tunes at the free
event.